Abraham gregg



ABRAHAM canoe, 0F FOREST errY, CALIFORNIA.

Letters Patent No. 62,127, (zaaz Fcbram'y 19, 1867.

IMPROVED RAILWAY GAR.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, :XBRAIIAM GREGG, of Forest City, county of Sierra,State of Californim havc invented certain new and useful improvements inRailway Cars, more especially adapted to omnibus cars of streetrailways, although the same improvement may be used inpart or in full onother cars propelled by steam; and I hereby declare the followingdescription and accompanying drawings are suflicient to enable anyperson, skilled in the art or science to which it most nearlyappertains, to make and use my said invention or improvements withoutfurther invention or experiments. 7

It is a well-known fact that a car constructed with its axlespermanently parallel to'each other, and its wheels fixed stationary uponthe axles, must necessarilybe attended with great friction, andconsequent wear and tear of wheels, track, rails, and motive power,besides-the constant liability of running from the track, especially inturning short curves, but by dividing the axle'into two sections andconnecting them together by a coupling, so that one wheel will describethe greater curve while the other performs the lessersegment of thecircle, it is intended that the binding-of the wheels will be prevented,and this is oneof the principal objects of my invention. Referring tothe drawings a A i Figure 1 represents a side elevation-of therunningportion of the car below the platformi Figure 2 plan of thesame.v

Figure 3, bottom view of car-frame, friction-rollers, and pivot-boxes.

Figure 4, section of swivel-coupling and plan of brakes.

Figure 5 shows a section of connection of brake to the axle. V

In this improvement it is necessary to have two trucks AA to ,each car;these trucks, with all of their appendagea are exactly similar to eachother, and are held together by a connecting-link, 0, allowing them toswing to and'fro. The axles B and B, to which the running-wheels areattached, pass througheach truck and are cut in two in the centre, eachportion having two bearings, a c, upon the truck-frame. The inner endsoi.

these axles are held together by means of a coupling-box, D, consistingof two pieces of metal in the form of' disks 6 I), each portion beingkeyed or bolted to itsrespective axle in any manner to producesufiicient strength,

A d when joined together forms awheel divided through its centre withflange around its whole circumference,

se inward connection is formed by two separate pieces of metahshaped andfitted to the surfaces of the disks, consisting of a ring, 0, throughwhich a centre head piece, E, passes, kept in place by bolt E passingthrough it and the axle longitudinally. The ring in which the head of"the centre-piece operates is attached to the opposite disk by bolts, E,introduced through a hole in the disk to which the centre headpiece isattached; the whole, when so formed, operating together in a. mannersimilar to that of the swivel of a chain, and forming outwardly awheelin the centre of the axle with flange entirely around it, to whicha double acting brake, E E,

is applied, (figs. 2 and 4.) The brakes are ef double construction, andare connected by rods, F F, to collars, GG, around the axle; thesecollars operate in a sleeve, and are loosely geared. to the 'ax'lewith abar, H, beneath which they are attached to an arm, I, of a rock-shaft,I, resting across the forwardportion of the truck-frame. 'An uprightbar, K, is attached to the centre of the rock-shaft, ektending npthrough the platform within easy reach of the driver or brakeman. i v

The operation of this brake is as follows, to wit: The shoes beingconstructed so asto fit the edges and flange of the coupling-box, thebrake-bar attached to the sweep is pulled toward the brakeman', whichgrasps the coupling-box at opposite sides after the manner of a vise,balancing the pressure of the brakes upon the wheel or box entirely, andprecisely the same effect is had at the rear portion of the car, thetrucksand Wheels and coupling-box being an exact counterpart of theforward trucks and brake. The platform has frictionnfollers attached tothe under sill, shown atffff, fig. 3, to prevent friction when the innerends of the trucks swing back and forth. These friction-rollers havesprings, f, placed between them and the platform so as to prevent anyrocking of the car in case of unevenness of track. There'are likewisesprings, g, placed around the king 'bolts, (represented at g g, figs. 1and 2,) so that the carriage rests on springs. The wheels in passingcurves on street railroads are controlled by an extra rail being placednear the inside rail, so that the flanges-of thewheels maypass betweenthem am not by the outside rail as on common railroads; so when theinside wheel strikes this curved extra rail, it i necessarily trigged alittle, and the outside wheel moving independent of its mate, by

means of the coupling will then-move forward so as to keep the axle atright angleswith the track, and when the forward truck swings either wayit controls the other so that the wheels will follow in the same tracks.This arrangement, in connection with theforward end of the tongue beingalways kept near the centre of the track by the horses, will hold theaxles in their desired relative positions. The tongue h is constructedwith a cross, placed in parallel slots'i'i, in the forward ends of thetracks, by means of arms running from said trucks so that when theforward end ot the tongue is kept in the centre of the truck by thehorses, on a curve, the inner end of the cross will move back in theslot, which brings the draught on the outer end of the cross; by thismeans the axles are not turned too much, as would be the case if thetongue was fastened still to the truck, neither too little, as would hethe case if it turned on a pivot; and by this means the car is alsokeptsteady on a straight track, as well as when passing downan inclinewhere it is necessary to hold back by the horses;also, in case ofonewheel being trigged a little by something upon the track, it bringsthe draught nearest the triggedwheel and prevents the jostling of thetruck.

Having thus described my improved railway car, what I claim, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The method of attachment of the extreme ends of the trucksto the carby king-bolts g, so'that the brakes can be worked in the-centre of eachshaft; also, the combination and arrangement of the box-coupling D tothe centre of the axle, so as to insure the twofold purpose of abrake-wheel and coupling.

2. The combination and arrangement of the double-acting brake E E, withsprings F, and leversI, H, and K, so that it will clasp both sides ofthewheel at the same time with equal pressure.

3. The two bearings a e, to each section of the axle, to prevent bindingin the coupling box; likewise, placing the springs ffbetween the trucksand platform and carriage, so that each shaft will have bearings nearits centre.

4. The cross-tongue 7:, attached to street cars, when operating inparallel slots it, so that when the car passes a 7 curve the outer endot the cross will move back in the slot, bringing the draught on theouter end of said cross or tongue, substantially as described and forthe purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

ABRAHAM GREGG. [It s.]

Witnesses:

C. W. M. SMITH, BEN. E. HARnIs.

